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A Review of |
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I knew of this book for quite a while but resisted reading it because I knew it would put me under conviction (Piper has a way of doing that). This book is a collection mostly of previously written pieces and its subtitle, A Plea to Pastors for Radical Ministry, is an indication of the purpose of the book which is to stop the professionalization of the pastoral ministry and call pastors back to the biblical commitment to preach, pray, and care for souls while maintaining a strong witness to those outside the church. That this book is addressed to pastors is also made clear by the chapter titles, each of which begins with “Brothers,” and is followed by some exhortation such as, “Live and Preach Justification by Faith” or “Show Your People why God Inspired the Hard Texts” or “Our Affliction is For Their Comfort.” Each chapter is brief and easily digestible, though not easily lived. Some of the chapters are devoted to issues of theology, such as those noted above, others to pastoral life such as “Brothers, Let us Pray” and “Brothers, Don’t confuse uncertainty with Humility,” and still others to pastoral spiritual and (dare I say) professional development, such as “Brothers, Bitzer was a Banker,” a delightful but convicting chapter about the importance of language study for the pastor, and “Brothers, Fight for your Life,” about the importance of reading to the spiritual life of the pastor. There are also chapters dealing with the pastor’s role in social issues, church life, and family life. Piper’s ability as a writer of clarity with little embellishment or padding is well known and this book is in the same style. The brief chapters make it easy to read and it is often beneficial simply to pull it out and pick a chapter. The thirty chapters also make it easy to read a chapter a day and so have something to meditate on during the day. Such thoughtful reflection will doubtless lead one to further considerations than the chapter even intends. The book is worth the cover price simply for the chapters that encourage and uplift the soul. Chapters such as “Brothers, Our Affliction is for their Comfort” and “Brothers, Help Your People Hold On and Minister in Calamity” are chapters one wishes one never had to read, but since everyone in ministry will face the issues addressed at some time or other, Piper’s warm wisdom can ably guide one through such times. Some who stand in Piper’s own Baptist tradition will have difficulties with “Brothers, Magnify the Meaning of Baptism” and will see in it his progress toward accepting infant baptism in his own church and so will miss out on any benefit to be gained from that chapter. At the least, many will see him as soft-pedaling on the issue by appealing to meaning rather than mode, which is a sticking point for most Baptists of every stripe. Other Baptists and even many non-Baptist evangelicals who are not Reformed will have difficulties with the chapter “Brothers, Don’t Fight Flesh Tanks with Pea-shooter Regulations” wherein Piper advocates moving away from a tee-totaler position with regard to alcohol. Some who are more conservative in their worship might disagree with some of Piper’s conclusion in the chapter, “Brothers, Focus on the Essence of Worship, Not the Form.” Each of these more controversial chapters (although “controversial” is probably too strong a term) is written in an irenic, gracious style and there is still much to be gleaned from them no matter which side one ultimately comes down on. These are but two chapters in a book full of wisdom, insight, and biblical guidance for the pastor who wants to serve faithfully according to God’s agenda rather than man’s. Each chapter, whether one agrees with Piper or not, has clearly been hammered out on the anvil of pastoral responsibility and in the context of the pastor’s study rather than the seminary classroom. This makes it warm and pastoral in its tone and it is as if the pastor who reads it is being pastured by a pastor himself.
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